Browse the evidence

Creatine monohydrate supplementation provides additive benefits to resistance training in older adults by increasing intramuscular phosphocreatine stores and enhancing high-intensity exercise capacity.

If you are doing resistance training, adding creatine monohydrate is one of the most effective ways to get more out of your workouts. It helps your muscles produce energy for high-intensity efforts, allowing you to train harder and build more muscle over time.

Beta-alanine supplementation increases intramuscular carnosine levels by 40-80% over 4-6 weeks, which buffers hydrogen ions during high-intensity exercise to delay fatigue in efforts lasting 1-4 minutes.

If you do short, intense cycling efforts (1-4 minutes), take 3.2-6.4g of beta-alanine daily for at least 4 weeks. Expect some tingling, which is harmless. This will help you delay fatigue in those specific efforts.

Sodium bicarbonate supplementation of 0.2-0.3 g/kg body weight, taken 60-90 minutes before exercise, buffers acid buildup to improve high-intensity cycling performance (1-10 minutes).

For races or efforts under 10 minutes, take 0.2-0.3g of sodium bicarbonate per kg of body weight 60-90 minutes before starting. Be aware it can cause stomach issues, so practice with it in training.

Dietary nitrates (300-600 mg nitrate, ~500 ml beetroot juice) taken 2-3 hours before exercise enhance endurance and reduce oxygen cost during submaximal exercise by promoting vasodilation and improved muscle efficiency.

If you do long rides or time trials, try 300-600mg of nitrate (e.g., beetroot juice) 2-3 hours before. It can help you use oxygen more efficiently. Be aware it may lower blood pressure.

For obese diabetic patients, a moderate caloric deficit (reducing intake by 500 kcal/day to achieve ~0.5 kg/week loss) is the recommended standard, whereas extremely low-calorie diets (VLCD) are not recommended due to unverified long-term effectiveness and increased risks of hypoglycemia and ketoacidosis.

Aim to reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 calories from what you currently eat. This should result in losing about 0.5 to 1 kilogram per week. Do not use extremely low-calorie diets (like under 800 kcal/day) without strict medical supervision, as they can cause dangerous blood sugar drops or ketoacidosis in diabetic patients. Adjust your target based on your activity level and body size.

Intentional pre-surgical weight loss, when achieved, is associated with improved surgical outcomes, including reduced complications and shorter hospital stays.

If you can safely lose weight before surgery, it may reduce your risk of complications and shorten your hospital stay. However, do not let the pressure to lose weight delay your surgery if you are unable to do so, as the delay itself carries risks.

Sustained weight loss of at least 10% in the first year significantly reduces the incidence of cardiovascular disease in individuals with type 2 diabetes, whereas weight fluctuation without sustained loss increases risk.

If you have type 2 diabetes, aim to lose at least 10% of your body weight within the first year through a structured lifestyle program. Crucially, focus on keeping that weight off. Avoiding the 'yo-yo' effect of gaining it back quickly is just as important as the initial loss for protecting your heart.

A dose-response relationship exists between reduced caloric intake and weight/BMI loss, where every 100 kcal/day decrease is associated with 0.16 kg weight loss and 0.06 kg/m2 BMI decrease.

To lose weight, focus on reducing your daily caloric intake by small, manageable amounts. The study shows that cutting just 100 calories a day leads to a measurable decrease in weight (0.16 kg) and BMI (0.06 kg/m2) over 12 months. This suggests that small, consistent changes are effective for weight management.

Weight reduction of 5-15% in obese patients with cardiovascular disease leads to dose-dependent improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors, including blood pressure, lipid profiles, and glycemic control.

Aim to lose 5-15% of your current body weight through a moderate daily calorie deficit (500-600 kcal) combined with regular exercise. You do not need to reach a 'normal' BMI to see significant improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar. Consistency is more important than extreme restriction.

Intensive lifestyle intervention leading to significant weight loss (≥15 kg) can induce remission of type 2 diabetes in patients with short disease duration (<6 years).

If you have Type 2 Diabetes diagnosed less than 6 years ago, losing 15 kg or more through a structured diet program (often starting with meal replacements) can put your diabetes into remission. This is not just about lowering blood sugar, but potentially reversing the condition. Work with a healthcare provider to manage this safely.

Weight reduction alleviates chronic pain by reducing mechanical load on joints and decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines from adipose tissue.

Losing weight is not just about appearance; it directly reduces the physical pressure on your joints and lowers the body's internal inflammation levels, which are key drivers of chronic pain.

A 7-10% reduction in total body weight is required to improve histopathological features of NAFLD, including steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis.

To improve liver health in NAFLD, aim for a 7-10% reduction in your total body weight through a combination of reduced calorie intake and regular physical activity. This level of weight loss is specifically linked to improvements in liver inflammation and fibrosis, not just fat content.

Sustained weight loss exceeding 10 kg through very-low-energy diets (800-853 kcal/day) induces remission of type 2 diabetes by reducing ectopic fat in the liver and pancreas, thereby restoring insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function.

To reverse Type 2 Diabetes, you likely need to lose more than 10% of your body weight. This is best achieved through a medically supervised very-low-calorie diet (around 800-850 calories/day) for 12 weeks, followed by a structured plan to maintain that weight loss. This approach works by removing fat from your liver and pancreas, allowing your body to regulate blood sugar naturally again. It is most effective if you have had diabetes for a short time.

High intake of ultra-processed foods is linked to adverse metabolic outcomes including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, making their limitation a pragmatic strategy for reducing metabolic risk.

Reduce your consumption of ultra-processed foods. They are linked to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Prioritize whole, minimally processed foods instead.

Short-term consumption of ultra-processed foods leads to increased energy intake and weight gain compared to unprocessed diets.

When eating ultra-processed foods, you are likely to eat more calories and gain weight compared to eating unprocessed foods, even if the nutrients are similar.

Weight loss through caloric restriction and dietary modification significantly reduces psoriasis severity (PASI score) and systemic inflammation in obese patients.

If you have psoriasis and are overweight, losing weight is one of the most effective non-pharmacological interventions available. Studies show that losing about 12% of your body weight through structured dietary programs (like very low-calorie ketogenic diets followed by balanced diets) can significantly reduce the severity of your psoriasis symptoms, often achieving a 50-75% improvement in skin clearance. This works by reducing systemic inflammation driven by excess fat tissue.

Soy protein has a high quality score (PDCAAS ~1.0 and DIAAS up to 117%) and is as effective as animal proteins for weight management and satiety.

If you are trying to lose weight, soy protein is a good option. It helps you feel full just as well as meat or whey protein. You don't need to avoid soy to lose weight; it can be part of your strategy.

Obesity and overweight are strongly associated with a significantly higher prevalence of dyslipidemia in Iranian adults, with obese individuals being 2.8 times more likely to have dyslipidemia compared to normal-weight individuals.

Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the most effective ways to prevent dyslipidemia. If you are overweight or obese, focusing on sustainable weight loss through improved diet and increased physical activity can significantly reduce your risk of developing high cholesterol or triglycerides.

Weight loss of 2.5-15% improves glycemic control in Type 2 Diabetes, while 5-10% weight loss may prevent knee pain in obesity-related osteoarthritis.

You don't need to lose massive amounts of weight to see health benefits. Losing just 2.5-15% of your body weight can significantly improve blood sugar control in diabetes, and losing 5-10% can help prevent knee pain. Focus on these achievable targets.

Regular physical activity, specifically 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic and resistance exercise, improves insulin sensitivity and glycemic control in Type 2 Diabetes patients.

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise per week, combining aerobic and resistance activities. If you cannot do it all at once, break it into smaller sessions. Aim for 10,000 steps a day. If you are on insulin, monitor your blood sugar to prevent hypoglycemia.

Aerobic exercise reduces visceral adipose tissue (VAT) independently of weight loss, and 150 minutes per week is sufficient for this reduction, whereas resistance training effects on VAT are equivocal.

Aim for 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week to reduce visceral fat. You do not necessarily need to lose weight on the scale for this benefit, and doing more than 150 minutes may not provide additional VAT reduction.

Maintaining ≥7% weight loss one year after a 12-week intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) significantly reduces the 10-year incidence of diabetic nephropathy in patients with diabetes.

For patients with diabetes and obesity, aiming for at least 7% weight loss within the first year of a structured lifestyle program is critical. This specific threshold is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing kidney disease (nephropathy) over the next decade. Focus on sustainable dietary and exercise changes to achieve this initial loss, as maintaining it provides long-term organ protection.

Maintaining ≥ 7% weight loss at 1 year following a 12-week intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) in patients with diabetes and obesity predicts sustained cardiometabolic improvements, including lower A1C and better lipid profiles, over 15 years.

For patients with diabetes and obesity, completing a structured lifestyle program and maintaining at least 7% of their body weight loss after one year is a critical milestone. This specific level of sustained weight loss is strongly associated with better long-term blood sugar control (A1C) and lipid profiles over 15 years, even if the initial intensive program ends. Focus on maintaining that initial loss rather than expecting continuous rapid weight loss.

Intensive lifestyle intervention in adults with type 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity produces moderate, sustained weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor control, with significant cardiovascular benefits observed specifically in patients achieving >10% weight loss or >2 MET fitness increase in the first year.

For adults with type 2 diabetes, simply 'trying' lifestyle changes may not be enough to protect your heart. You need to aim for a significant result: losing at least 10% of your body weight or significantly increasing your physical fitness (measured in metabolic equivalents) within the first year. If you achieve this threshold, you are much more likely to see a reduction in cardiovascular outcomes compared to those who maintain their weight or fitness levels.